


[ATEEZ] Hearts Awakened Live Alive : Hongjoong Ongoing and the man in Black Fedora

by ArnaLekhaLekhi



Category: Atiny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:07:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25182241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArnaLekhaLekhi/pseuds/ArnaLekhaLekhi
Summary: Everything crumbles right before Hongjoong's eyes. And most of it was his fault. If only he didn't....."Do you want to turn back time?"Right when he's hovering at the edge of past and present, a man in all black appears before him, with an hourglass in his hands."Who are You?""I'm someone you won't have to meet again"[COMPLETED]
Relationships: Friends - Relationship
Kudos: 3





	[ATEEZ] Hearts Awakened Live Alive : Hongjoong Ongoing and the man in Black Fedora

**Author's Note:**

> A short story / oneshot I wrote for ateez's story event on their official website, based on the snippets of their short story comic.

_"I want to find her...our treasure..with you"_

_"Hyung, are you all just gonna leave like that? What about our dream?"_

_"Was everything we did together a lie hyung?"_

_"I wanted to live,I really wanted to live to see the future with you guys….."_

_"People like us can't afford to dream"_

_"Maybe all this while i was lying to myself….i regret...i do regret"_

_"If only I could save you...if only…"_

_"I'm sorry everyone, it was my fault..i failed you guys"_

All these memories, the painful memories keep appearing in Hongjoong's dream again and again. Is it even a dream? Is he alive? Is he dead? He doesn't know. What happened the last time before he fell asleep? Wait, did he even fall asleep in the first place? He doesn't know. All he ever wanted, was to make his dream reality with 7 of his beloved members, whom he considered his friends and family. But he guessed it was too much to ask for. If only he could turn back time, if only…

" _Open your eyes"_

Hongjoong heard a voice calling him, it was as if the voice itself was hypnotizing, and he immediately opened his eyes. The place...the place he is in….he can't believe it..he is floating!! And and and he is surrounded by the northern lights, _Aurora_ !!! The same _Aurora_ he wanted to see, wanted to feel with his members. A ray of hope. All this while, he searched for it like a mad man. He tried to catch it desperately. But reality was of course too harsh. Where was it all this time? Where was this " _Aurora_ " when he needed it the Most? If only he could find it in time...he could've..he could've…

A dazzling light brought him back to the present. He looked at the direction of the light, floating not too far way from him. He tried to move closer by moving his hands in the air and when he came to a close approximity he saw the light was illuminating from an hourglass. But the hourglass was not working. The sand inside it, was still.

He held out his right hand to touch the hourglass but before he could, the hourglass flew past him. His gaze followed the hourglass and he turned back to see the hourglass landed on the hands of a man. A man in Black fedora now stood infront of hongjoong, he looked up and met hongjoong's gaze. He doesn't know why but a chill ran through hongjoong's spine when he looked at that man's eyes. 

"It's not reality that makes one lose their dream; it's their decision. So, Do you want to turn back time and correct all those wrong decisions that you made?" The man spoke with unfaltering gaze. This made hongjoong take a step back in the air and he swallowed back spit.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Hongjoong stuttered a bit.

"You know exactly what I mean. I know everything about you. Your past, present and future. So just answer my question. Do you want to turn back time? Or....you have yet another choice" the man says in a nonchalant tone.

"What another choice?.....Do i even deserve a second chance? What if I again make the same mistakes?" Hongjoong says lowering his gaze.

"Everything comes at a cost and with a risk. So, what you said can't be denied. But if you want, I can erase your memories and send you to another dimension, where there's no pain and all of your members are happy" said the man.

"Another dimension?" Hongjoong's eyes and voice was filled with wonder.

"Yes, there are countless dimensions in the world. But again, if you choose the 2nd option, your friends from this dimension will keep suffering 'til the end because of your failure. So, let me rephrase it. Do you want to save your friends or do you want to give up on them...again?"

That "again" stabbed hongjoong's heart like hundreds of needles. Of course, everything that happened, happened because he gave up first. He spent half of his life to achieve his dream. He worked so hard and when the rest of the members joined him he felt like that was paradise. Yet, just one blow, just one blow, made the passion inside him crumble. The fear...where did this fear even come from? When did his passion become so weak?

Why? Just why did he let them crumble apart? Why did he give up when he had 7 of his wings supporting him? When they begged him not to leave why didn't he turn back? So, now how can he just selfishly decide to give up on them.."again"?

"No, I-I-I won't give up this time. I will save them. I will save us" hongjoong said with a shaky yet confident voice.

The expression of the man in black fedora was unseeable under his black mask. He let go of the hourglass from his hands and that hourglass started floating towards Hongjoong. Hongjoong looked at the man before holding the hourglass and the man nodded in approval. Getting his approval, Hongjoong held the hourglass in the palm of his right hand. The Light inside it, was still illuminating.

"Remember, it's your decisions that shape your dream. This time don't give up no matter what. Choose the right path and right decision" said the man in black. 

"Now repeat after me : Hearts Awakened Live Alive" the main said again. It sounded exactly like the voice that told hongjoong to open his eyes. The same hypnotizing voice, again as if intoxicated hongjoong into repeating after the voice.

Hongjoong's eyes looked as if he saw something too mesmerizing and for a moment he was not himself and he repeated after the voice , "Hearts Awakened Live Alive" as soon as he said it the hourglass in his palm started working. But in a reverse way. The sand inside the hourglass started storming up from the bottom to the top and the light illuminating from the hourglass became stronger as if going to explode. Hongjoong gained his consciousness and he was flabbergasted. The air around him started blowing fast. It was as if he was going to dissapear. He hurriedly looked at the man still standing in the same place and he yelled his questions out worried that the man won't hear it. " WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU HELPING ME?" 

Until now Hongjoong thought he was dreaming. But now something inside him is telling him it isn't a dream. That's why he blurted out those questions. But before he could hear the answer he was yanked back in his dimension. 

"Hyung hyung!!"

"Please get up quickly!!"

Hongjoong wakes up at the shaking and noises of two people. 

_Wooyoung-A! San-A!_

_This is not another dream right? Please don't let it be a dream. Please please._

Hongjoong sat up where he was sleeping. It was their practice room. And San and Wooyoung both looked younger like back in their teens. Hongjoong looked past behind the members to look at the Mirror. He was also his younger self!!! That wasn't a dream. He really turned back time!! Now he can..he can..he can...out of the blue hongjoong hugged both Wooyoung and San tightly and couldn't hold back his tears. 

Woosan was startled. 

San: "Hy-hyung what happened?"

Woo: "Did you have a nightmare??"

_Yes indeed it was a nightmare. A nightmare that he can't let it become reality again._

Before Hongjoong could say anything another person followed inside the practice room.

"WHO ATE MY CHICKEN?!" it was yeosang looking like he was gonna destroy the whole KQ building. Usually shy and quiet, but a monster when he's angry. 

Woosan got out of hongjoong's arms and instead hid behind him.

Wooyoung : "W-we didn't know whose it was. We were just hungry and the chicken looked so lonely on that table..so we thought it was gonna be a waste not to eat it"

San : "Ye-yeah..hyung save us!!T-T"

Another two people followed behind yeosang and walked in.

"Ya ya you guys made such a mess at the dining table. Who eats like that? Go wash it up!" It was seonghwa.

"Hyung,don't save them. Let Yeosang hyung take care of them. No mercy when it comes to food" Jongho came to add fuel on the fire.

Behind them came the sound of laughing and two more members followed.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Mingi was gasping for air between laughing.

"Yes hyung, don't save them. I want to live telecast world war 3 that's about to take place" said yunho while recording them.

_They are all here, all 8 of them. All of them are ok. Everything is ok now. Hongjoong won't let this crumble again. Not again._

This feeling of nostalgia was too overwhelming and Hongjoong again broke down. Everyone in the room was stunned and forgot the tension instead they were startled by hongjoong's sudden outburst. They all circled around him and crouched down.

Seonghwa :"Hongjoong-A W-what happened?"

Woosan : "Hyung?!"

Mingi : "Aww hyung did you miss me so much? I just went to the bathroom for a while"

Yunho : *giving Mingi a slap on the back of his head*"Hyung don't mind him you can share anything with us"

Yeosang : "Hyung sorry we won't trouble you again"

Jongho : "Hyung don't cry. Or I will take your leader position"

Once again he hugged all the members together, making the members struggle at first then slowly giving in. The whole practice room was filled with the giggles of all 8 of them.

Back at that place where Hongjoong was a while ago, the man in black was still there, watching Hongjoong going back to the past. 

He looked at all the 8 people that looked so happy at this moment. And replied to the questions that Hongjoong asked him before his departure, "I am someone that I hope you don't have to meet again and I'm doing this so there won't be another me again" these are the last lines he said before turning back from those 8 people and disappearing within the Aurora.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking your time to read this 💜❤


End file.
